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Opera Software have recently released version 7.50 of their tremendously popular web browser, aptly named ‘Opera’. Combining e-mail, IRC, notepad, downloads, contacts and literally hundreds of useful features and gimmicks – Opera is simply the best browser around.
I have used Opera since vs 6 and love it! The sad thing is so many sites out there are thrown together using WYSIWYG editors which means the code stinks and Opera will not render bad code. Opera is one of my main test browsers for client sites to ensure across the board compat.
I also love that it is CSS driven and you can edit so many things within the main files. I am running 7.5 final and love the new interface. They also offer tons of free skins or you can create your own. Well worth the 39.00 and they also offer a free download if you don't mind a small add at the top. No spyware in the ads which is nice and they are always open to suggestions on improving the browser. :} :}
I immediately installed it. They have beta-tested it for several months yet:
1/ It takes more than a minute to start up when the puter has been completely shut down.
2/ Although I registered, and registration is accepted and shown, it always starts up with that silly advertisement dialog. Trying their work-around, nl. filling in either option and closing, did not help.
3/ To get navbar embellsihments like other colour is Opera, you have to set this in the preferences. I did, but I do not get colour change: it always displays gray.
4/ Opera has so many settings that it requires quite a bit of a study before you can use them all.
5/ Its forum community is extremely arrogant and unfriendly.
6/ It has come a long way. In 5 one couldn't even upload to a server. But it still is very unforgiving when it comes to bad coding. In my opinion, this can be good for webdesigners, but it's sometimes a nuisance when it comes to browsing. I simply want to browse the Internet, and I don't want to be censored or hindered by a browser saying "sorry, but this page is badly coded, so I won't display it like it's meant to be."
It is my prefered browser as it is extremely fast and offers a lot of very handy features. But I suppose it won't be long before we see 7.51 appear. I hope today.
A ferw hours later: now 7.5 completely broke down: even its own pages at opera com are seen as unknown file formats, PSG does not exist on the server etc.
Never had these problems with 7.2!
Wow Erik! [stuned] I am using 7.5 right now and i've had none of the problems you have mentioned so far. I am even running this on a Pent II machine. It only takes around 5 seconds to load the browser after a complete shutdown of the browser. I did have a problem with hitting this site using the beta vs but when I uninstalled 7.51beta and installed the final vs everything worked fine. I would say go to their forum but as you say they are not very helpful over there for sure. That is the one drawback to the browser. I have managed to get help when I needed it there but you have to deal with the "I hate the world" types during the process but you deal with that on every forum it seems.
Mine is installed on the D partition and the prefs are on C. The fact you could not change the color tells me that the install did not complete properly. Since I use this as a primary I would uninstall, wipe the prefs then reinstall but if you are not looking to use Opera then I would say trash bin.
As the third attempt didn't work like it should, I downloaded a new copy and installed that.
After entering my code and getting the message " Opera is now registered", I closed and once again that ad window was there. But now I could indeed get rid of it by checking one of both options. It hasn't come back again.
Opera 7.2 simply took the settings of IE, but 7.5 doesn't. So when I found the preferences (once again moved to another place), I finally managed to check for things myself, and a necessary box (I'm on cable modem) wasn't checked. This should correct the long startup delay.
But since I did, I get a popup on every page I click. (see image).
I get rid of it and can go on.
Probably another safety setting.
And the scrollbar colouring on my own page (I'm constructing)doesn't work. It does in IE.
My final verdict: Opera is a very fast browser and has improved an awful lot. I prefer it by FAR when compared to IE or NN6.
But it is a browser for people who have a basic knowledge of the Internet and aren't afraid to have to enter several settings themselves. IE is much more user friendly. And also virus-friendly.
Opera has a perfectly working built-in pop up killer that allows several settings.
It's extremely fast, also for downloading. Several times, while using IE I had to wait, just like as if there was some code on a server to slow down IE. But in fact, its number of connections is limited. Downloading some tut movies or so is limited to two at the time. Opera takes ten, and wiyth ease. (never tried more).
Opera warns when a server certificate is outdated, etc etc.
Once it work, it works great. Which is why it is my preferred browser.
Its unforgiveness when it comes to bad coding makes it a very good tool for web-designers.
You know what this means, Linda?
Several times I asked questions over at the Opera forum but I never got another answer than style: "you stupid soab, how dare you ask such a basic question and disturb us in our high conversation on our preferred superficialities?" But no real answer.
Even Opera help themselves can only talk code for high end internauts.
But hey: they're vikings, aren't they?
Just to keep you guys up here... the site WAS down for a little while recently because some ignorant person was trying to suck the hell out of the Forum using a Web reaping type of program. They had a couple dozen ports open and scanning (for what i dont know). But it pushed the server very hard so they shut it down for a bit until they traced the person responsible. We know everything about this person now except what their name is. But that wouldn't take much to find out either if we decide to persue it. Anywho... we shut their IP off from the server/site now. So unless they get a new IP they're locked out.
And back on topic...
Well... not to be an instigator or nothing but... as far as i'm concerned, Opera, albeit a decent browser, is not a big player; yet. So to say things like this "unforgiving when it comes to bad coding" is a little off the mark. The coding isn't bad just because Opera can't render it. That's way too literal of a way to look at it.
Every browser out here sucks crap as far as i see it. The only thing that counts to each person is which piece of crap they care to try using -- and can manage to put up with.
For me, my 'opinion' is that Mozilla has the best browser at the moment. Partly because it's free. I'm not a big fan of having to pay for a browser. If things start going that way too far, then i'll be using my Windows folders to browse with. [stuned]
Opera releases a new Browser 
Linear Mode
